About Me

ABOUT ME:

Thank you for wanting to learn more about me - I am certain you will find no other person's "about me" page as unique as this one.

INTRO: 

      I am the Founder of Genedocs, my name is Eric Jelle, and I am clearly very excited about family research and particularly having some of the best tools (for researchers of all experience levels) to organize, research, chart, preserve, and share their family legacy with a sense of creativity evolving in this millennium.

    
   

YOU COMPARE AND DECIDE:

     Let's face it - if you're using the same pedigree chart or family group sheet without space for family member portraits that your grandmother wrote on or typed on a typewriter, then the tools you have are considerably outdated.  Computers dominate most of our lives because of efficiency and the ability to program out the most common mistakes and miscalculations while sorting by whatever field of information you prefer which would take us far too long to by hand when dealing with hundreds, thousands, or millions of relatives.  If you like the standard chart of yesteryear at the left above more than the Genedocs Hybrid Chart at the right above that adds siblings, portraits, actual source document images, and the freedom of nearly unlimited compiler comments to list your journey, hurdles and successes, then remember to tip your psychiatrist well.  Doubtful of that?  Try deciding on the best of the next two images

Ancestry.com clearly is focused mostly on sheer numbers:

12 Billion historical Documents, 55 Million Family Trees, and 2.7 Million subscribers as of Feb 2014 per employee Christa Cowan's rootstech presentation.

At Genedocs, I put the frustration of a researcher first and whack at it a little bit for a while with a baseball bat, and you end up with a tad more visually creative and preservational genius when all is said and done!

The decision needs to remain yours which is best and not cleverly snuck down your throat like a bad tasting cough syrup.  Even ancestry is advertising presently with family tree visualization that neatly condense into an attractive recipe card filing box - target audience:  (most of my facebook lady friends between 20 and 80+)

SHORT RUNDOWN:

     I have been researching my own family tree and a few other apparently related ones since I was a teen back in 1985.  That may seem like many years ago, but trust me, it still seems like yesterday and your life zips by in a flash.  With a surname like JELLE it is clearly obvious why my sister began that first parent interview that I persistently began to chart our family tree from.  Since then, I have been on an amazing journey in my own life as well as through exploring the fascinating and sometimes unbelievable lives of my ancestors and their family groups/extended relatives.  The path has led me through military service in nearly every generation back to the American Revolution, Corporate employment ranging from fast food service to working closely with families of dead relatives and soldiers lost in the Global War on Terror to ensure honorable and dignified memorials were conducted for America's valiant troops and our everyday citizens and neighbors.  As I type this I actually am fortunate to be working for the National Archives for my third year after having great success previously in my home state of Colorado with both Iron Mountain and the legendary employer Docuvault.

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES:

   Some of the most amazing discoveries I have made have involved photos and military service.
For instance, my father served in Europe during WWII in the Army Air Force with the 410th Bombardment Group (Light).  No one on earth could have predicted that the worst hurricane recorded in Florida history would divert me to a new first duty station in the Air Force about 50 years later serving under none other than the 410th Bombardment Wing.  And who in the universe could even fathom I would be in charge of a wartime casualty group dispatching military body escorts after my father served as one during his training for a fellow airman who died during stateside training and needed someone from the Dakotas to assist his family with receiving his remains for the funeral and graveside arrangements.  Rest in Peace Lloyd Hansen - I know you and Dad must sharing some great tales together!  Why was it me who had already looked hundreds of times at 2nd great grandfather Edward Gause's biography in the History of Houston County, TX only to stumble upon his 2nd wife Elimra's request to Congress on a Google search for an increase to her widow's pension that uncovered he was a Mexican War Veteran at all - something completely overlooked in the book's very detailed tale of his life.

Who would have though something as simple as our signature would bring our descendants to tears if it survived the test of time at all!

We aren't here to "re-write history" or "reinvent the wheel", but we sure seem destined to correct a significant swath of the mistakes and oversights!  Also,I am probably the only person left on earth who would ever care enough to color copy, and mail to NPRC both a WWI and WWII discharge and service photos for Dad and grandpa Richard after learning the government originals had been destroyed in the tragic 1973 fire in St. Louis.  Finding a portraits of long lost ancestors and new one's by far speaks volumes beyond what I can convey in mere words:

A pretty recent exciting find via NARA's FREE access to Ancestry.com
Best ROI so far - uncovered in only 15 minutes of queries!

EDUCATION: 

      I have also struggled somewhat and entered into significant student loan debt to finally obtain my Bachelor's degree in Technical Management from DeVry University recently in hopes of being more marketable in the employment arena.  Does graduating Magna cum Laude mean anything in the mind of employers?  It apparently worked for my father working 30 years in Social Security and my dear sister now on the cusp of full music professorship at a great university in the Midwest.  If you apply yourself, I am living proof you could somehow still make a good five figure income while having earned only an associates degree.  It's about making a connection with the decision makers and displaying a solid and consistent work ethic that can take the company to great success.  Earning any degree with honors at considerable expense is proof of commitment enough to hire a graduate nearly as much as it is to hire a veteran of the armed forces.  If your company/organization is smart, then they will hire more of this winning combination.

LEMONADE:

     When any person is dead and gone (yes, you and I included), they leave behind a family legacy which can be incredibly valuable in monetary, non-monetary terms, or, if very prepared, both.  Commit to those you care most about that you will strive to leave a balanced legacy for them.  You would be surprised what ends up being most important at various stages of our lives, but our true identity rests so much with those that rest beneath the earth.  Whatever life deals you, try to make the best of it or at least leave it a lttle improved from your time invested here.  

CONCLUSION:

     I can only hope your journey in genealogy brings the significantly valuable and personal meaning and learning that my own sauntering from one county courthouse to the next, clicking one site or another, and designing one template or another has for me.  There is no dollar value for it though wealthy folks would tell you otherwise - no one can book a travel plan for this journey at any monetary cost.  Only you can decide whether to embark on the adventure of your lifetime and so many of your ancestors - trust me it is worth it and say "Yes" to your greatest life choice yet.  Start researching your family tree and always be excited when you need help because none of us has made it through to today successfully all on our own.

Thanks for reading about me and life and I wish you the best journey through your tree!

                - Eric